IOA Concern and Complaint Policy and Procedures

II. Formal Complaint for Specific Behaviors  

1.     Scope

Any IOA Participant who reasonably believes that another Participant has engaged in the following behavior or conduct may pursue a more formal option by filing a formal complaint:  

• Deliberate intimidation, bullying, threatening, stalking, or pursuing others,
• Exhibiting behavior that is disruptive, or that endangers the health or safety of oneself or others including spam (verbally or in chats), or saying or reposting the same word/content repeatedly to disrupt the conversation,
• Sustained disruption of portions of any IOA Activity, regardless of whether the Participant has been directly asked to cease or stop the disruption,
• Invasion of privacy,
• Harassment: For purposes of this Complaint Policy, this includes conduct, comments, or displaying images that a person would reasonably find offensive, demeaning, or hostile;  intimidation or threats, including sharing images or text to threaten; negative, unwelcome or offensive verbal, visual, or physical conduct directed at any Participant based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender  status, age, national origin, language, disability, religion, marital status, veteran status,  political affinity or any other characteristic protected by U.S. law; any activity meant to  convey or cultivate hostility including ad hominem insults or other attacks; and  encouraging any of the above behavior,
• Sexual Harassment: For purposes of this Policy, this includes unwelcomed, unsolicited, or unreciprocated sexual advances or sexual attention including sharing images or text especially to sexually harass; requests for sexual favors, other verbal, visual, or physical conduct or gestures of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or perceived to offend, humiliate, or intimidate another person,
• Discriminatory conduct based on race, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, national origin, language, disability, religion, marital status, veteran status, political affinity, or any other characteristic protected by U.S. law,
• Actual or threatened pushing, shoving, or use of any physical force whatsoever against any Participant,
• Possession or use of a weapon or any other item in a way that may cause danger to or threaten others,
• Destruction, theft, dismantlement, defacement, abuse, or intentional misuse of property belonging to IOA, a Participant, or a contracted venue,
• Retaliation against any Participant for reporting activity that they reasonably believed to be in violation of this Policy,
• Knowingly and falsely reporting violations of behavior or conduct in bad faith, 
• Activities that are dishonest, fraudulent, illegal, or that clearly are not professional or consistent with the mission and goals of IOA, its Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice including plagiarism,
• Theft, misappropriation and/or violation of property rights including intellectual property,
• Intentional failure to comply with directions of IOA staff, or venue personnel regarding operations or emergency response procedures.  Participants in IOA Activities are expected to follow the reasonable directives of IOA Officers, the Executive Director, and the Managing Director who are authorized by the Board of Directors to take immediate action they deem necessary and appropriate, including refused admission or removal at an IOA Activity to ensure the safety, security, and well-being of Participants. 

All formal complaints that are filed are taken seriously. IOA reserves the right to address any allegations of egregious behavior as it deems necessary including vexatious claims. 

2. Immediate or Imminent Danger  

If a Participant is in immediate or imminent danger, sees something suspicious, or wants to report a security issue or emergency, they should contact security at the venue of an IOA event or local law enforcement. Nothing in this policy is intended to preclude a Participant from seeking immediate resolution from safety professionals.

3. Timing for Review of Formal Complaints  

Any Participant(s) named in a formal complaint has the right to be informed of the nature of the complaint within 21 calendar days^[1]of the complaint being received by IOA. The name(s) of the Participants who filed the complaint will not be disclosed.  

Every effort will be made to conduct a review and determine the outcome of the alleged misconduct within 60 calendar days of receiving the complaint. 

5. Confidentiality 

6. Measures to Address a Complaint  

Informal and formal measures may be utilized to conduct the review and address the complaint, including but not limited to: 

IOA recognizes the strain that the filing of a formal complaint may bring to all involved. As a matter of policy, IOA will attempt to utilize informal measures to the extent possible and applicable to the allegation. However, IOA reserves the right to address allegations of egregious behavior as it deems necessary including vexatious claims.

6. Right to Appeal  

Any Participant named in a complaint may appeal the decision to the full Board of Directors.

7. Post Review 

The resolution of a complaint will not be publicized at the conclusion of the review, although the IOA will inform the Participant(s) who filed the complaint that the matter has been closed and a resolution achieved. This confidentiality is required to address the myriad of interests of all concerned.  

8. Use of Policy  

Discretion should be exercised when using the Concern and Complaint Policy. This Policy should only be used to address misconduct identified in Section II.1. above. It should not be used for minor disagreements or for reasonable differences in opinion, approach, and personal style. An individual found to have knowingly and in bad faith provided materially false information during the Complaint or a review may be found to be subject to a Concern and Complaint Policy and subsequent measures following a review. 

III. Participant Behavior Outside the Association  

If an IOA Member^[1] believes the conduct of another IOA Member outside the association is unbecoming to either the association or the profession, they may request a meeting with the Participant, facilitated by IOA’s Ombuds. The IOA supports its Ombuds’ facilitating understanding of the concern and providing an opportunity for a restorative approach.   

Concern and Complaint Procedures

1. Initiating a Formal Complaint 

Any Participant^[1]who reasonably believes that the alleged conduct of another Participant is beyond the behavior or conduct accepted in our IOA Community Norms and identified in the IOA Concern and Complaint Policy may initiate a Formal Complaint by submitting a completed Formal Complaint Form (or a document with equivalent information) and any supporting information to the President and Executive Director.  

If a Participant is in immediate or imminent danger, sees something suspicious, or wants to report a security issue or emergency at an IOA in-person event, they should contact security at the venue or local law enforcement as an initial course of action.  

2. Formal Complaint Review and Review Committee 

The President and Executive Director, or their designees^, will 1) determine whether the formal complaint is within scope, 2) determine whether a special committee needs to be convened to address the allegation(s), and 3) notice the Participant(s) named in the formal complaint that a formal complaint had been filed, and the general nature of the complaint^[2].  

3. Review Process  

A Review Committee (composed of the President and Executive Director, or a specially convened group) will assess the inquiry as it determines appropriate to solicit necessary information to conduct a fair and impartial review of the alleged misconduct. This may include, but is not limited to:  

The Committee will conduct any interviews, meetings, and measures related to the review in accordance with IOA’s Core Values. As a matter of policy, IOA will attempt to utilize informal measures to the extent possible and applicable to the allegation. However, IOA reserves the right to address any egregious allegations as it deems necessary.  

4. Confidentiality and Interaction Between Participants During the Review Process, and Voluntary Conflict Resolution Options  

At no time during the process will there be contact between the Participants who filed the complaint and the Participants named in the complaint, unless the Participants agree.  

At any point during the process, the Participants may explore whether they wish to consider informal and voluntary measures to resolve the complaint. This includes, but is not limited to:  

     a. voluntary mediation,  

     b. facilitated discussion, or 

     c. any other informal means to communicate and resolve the matter.  

In all instances, all parties must agree and be willing to voluntarily engage in these informal options.  

5.  Measures to Address a Complaint  

A variety of corrective measures may be considered at the conclusion of the review, including but not limited to:  

• restorative approaches including coaching and/or other facilitated discussions,
• voluntary mediation,
• an advisory letter or letter of expectation that states the behavior from which the Participant must refrain,
• a letter of warning, and/or reprimand that states the behavior from which the Participant must refrain,
• revocation of Participant member benefits and/or privileges including but not limited to the ability to serve on a committee, task force or the IOA Board, prepare or publish content on any IOA platform, present at an IOA conference, sponsor an IOA activity, or use of any other IOA platform,
• limiting or prohibiting access to membership; or suspension or termination of membership,
• removal or banning of attendance at current or future IOA Activities.

The time applied to the corrective measure may depend on the nature of the complaint and/or the corrective measure taken. Only egregious behavior will be addressed by permanent corrective measures. 

Pursuant to Article III, Section D4 of the Association Bylaws, the Board shall prescribe the criteria and procedures applicable for removal or suspension of a member for cause.  

6. Post Review: Recommendations and Notification

After a review is conducted, a memorandum that includes a summary of information based on the information gathered, and recommendations^[3] will be provided to the President and Executive Director if the review has been conducted by a special committee. If the recommendations come from the President and Executive Director, the memorandum will be sent to the IOA Board’s Executive Committee.  

The President and Executive Director or the Executive Committee as applicable will determine what standard or norm has been violated if any, and ensure the Participant named in the complaint has been notified. 

7. Right to Appeal  

Any Participant named in a complaint may appeal the decision to the full Board of Directors. Any request for appeal must be sent to the President and the Executive Director within 60 days of receiving the decision. The decision of IOA’s Board of Directors is final.  

8. Support During the Process  

Any Participant named in a formal complaint may bring either an individual to provide support or an attorney to any interviews(s) or other meetings conducted by the Committee^[4].  

9. Confidentiality of the Decision 

The final resolution of a complaint will not be publicized at the conclusion of the review, although the IOA will inform Participants who filed the complaint that the matter has been closed and a resolution achieved. This confidentiality is required to address the myriad of interests of all concerned.  

10. Post Review  

A confidential file will be maintained at IOA headquarters that will contain the complaint, supporting materials, and any corrective measures that were taken, including any final correspondence to the Participants named in the complaint and who filed the complaint. 

Formal Complaint Form